Life In Technicolor {Photos}

Well hello!  It has been a long time since I posted a real post (anniversary post excepted).  Life kinda got in the way there for a while.  

What have we been up to?  Here's a peek:

~ In February, P & I escaped for a weekend away.  It was our first weekend away by ourselves in a long time and it was much needed.  My sister- and brother-in-law were stars and watched C so we could have some down time in Cape May, NJ - a lovely, sleepy (in the winter) seaside town that was just what the doctor ordered.  We spent our last night in the historic Congress Hall.  It was perfect.

 

 

Congress Hall.     

Georges Place.  YUM!

~ On the way home, we detoured to NJ and visited my cousin, her husband, and adorable three little girls (plus friend)!  It was great to see them!

~ My daughter sleeps on her head, which, in the morning, can frequently result in this incredible sight (please note, I did not brush this - it took me 30 minutes to gently comb the tangles out): 

~ Trader Joes had daffodils in March.  Daffodils remind me of the garden of my childhood home in Rostrevor, N. Ireland (one of the most beautiful places in the world, IMO), which had hundreds of the most beautiful daffodils I've ever seen.  They never fail to make me happy. 

~ I made French Onion Soup (recipe from this book, which is a great little read, by the way).  It was DELISH.  

~ I am 'old school' when it comes to children's shoes - I favour traditional styles.  I used to wear ones exactly like this when I was a little girl.   I think there's nothing cuter, although I'm sure she'll grow to hate them by age 7 like I did for a brief time.  Hopefully she'll fall in love with them again when she has little feet of her own to dress. (Photo by C).

Check out my shoes.

~ This exists (#griffendor4eva):

~ We took C to the circus for the first time - she was mesmerised - after which, she had great fun playing the (sassy) tattooed lady.

 

~ C's subconscious, as-yet undiscovered love for Great Britian reveals itself in the strangest ways...

~ We had a mother/daughter date a Super Why Live!  She looooved it!

~ At an evening of Opera in the Outfield, featuring Show Boat, C had a brilliant time playing dress up in the costumes before the show.  Here, C contemplates possibilities inspiration for her future wedding gown....

...but clearly favoured a more Elizabethan look:

...and she loved watching the show with her little diplo-friend, who is off to Copenhagen with her parents this summer for their next Foreign Service adventure (her Mom, by the way, has a fabulous blog - definitely check it out).

~ We took a much needed family holiday in Florida, visiting my Grandmother-in-law who lives beside my husband's childhood haunt of Pass-A-Grille Beach.  It was relaxing and just what we needed.  It was also C's first time on a beach - we could hardly get her out of the water!

We had a very experienced pilot.

The beautiful Gulf.

The Sea Horse Restaurant - a must on every visit.

My little cutie.

~ We went to a beautiful wedding in West Point, NY.  C danced the afternoon and evening away in a tent in the beautiful gardens of the Superintendant's House.

~ C was VERY excited about her new butterfly and fairy dress from her Aunty R.

~ She also paid tribute to the late Esther Williams by re-inventing the swimmer's underwater ballets on dry land.

~ Saturdays have become Daddy/Daughter donut days - they go get their donuts (and a Starbucks tea for me) while I sleep a little longer.  We all love this new tradition.  :)

~ Despite the wacky weather we've been having, we've been able to sneak in a few days poolside.  It's a tough life for some...

~ This past weekend, we visited by best friend since I was 10 years old.

...She lives with her lovely little family in Connecticut.  Her oldest daughter is 6 weeks older than C, and they hit it off like their Mamas did.  It made our hearts happy. :)

~ We went to Boston for the day where we attempted to go to the aquarium (tourist-overload-fail) and met up with my cousin and his family.

     

         

~ And finally, we (and by we I mean C) have spent a LOT of time dancing.  To anything and everything.  But lately, to this movie which, if you know me, you'll know makes me very, very happy.  :)  

~ I won't be able to photograph the tiny little thing that has made us most happy these last few months.  He or she should be joining us around New Years Day, and we can hardly wait!

If you're still with me after the squillion photos I just posted, you deserve a pat on the back.  And possibly a stronger drink than coffee.  :)  

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Eight Years

Eight years ago today, this happened:

 

 

It was a wonderful, most happy day filled with family and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

We've since written our story on 2 continents, in 2 countries, 3 states, and now we're back where it all began (well, for a few more weeks...)

 

The last eight years has been more than I could have ever imagined: more love, more adventure, more joy.  Of course there have been ups and downs, but I am so blessed to have a kind, funny, smart, wonderful partner in life who supports me, understands me, believes in me, and who picks me up when I am down. He takes care of me and our little girl and we are both beyond blessed to share our lives with him.      

                   

 

I love you, P!  Here's to 8x8x8 years more!

xx

A Winter's Walk

Us (and my sister, tucked in her coat) in Regents Park, late 1983/early 1984

It was late morning in mid-winter.  There was a crisp chill in the London air and I was wrapped in warm layers: a cuddly hat and scarf, warm overcoat and patent leather T-bar shoes buckled firmly over my wool tights.  She pushed brass handle of the heavy, mahogany door open and we squinted in the bright morning light, one small hand tucked safely inside one big hand. The sun hung lazily above the trees  whose stark, finger-like branches were barely a shadow as they reached toward the milky winter sky.  With my right hand firmly in her left, we walked down Clifton Gardens, my free hand gripping the plastic bag of stale breadcrumbs we were bringing for the duck's breakfast.  She told me about the boats we were going to see, about the ducks we'd later feed and how they say hello.  I practiced my "quacks" as best I could, and as I told her of the mummy, daddy, and baby ducks we'd see she listened to me as she always did: with full attention, as though what I had to say was the most important thing she had ever heard.

When our route met the canal, we veered off Blomfield Road to the little footpath beside the canal.  This was my favorite part.  The canals of Little Venice seemed a well-kept secret, and three-year-old me liked to believe that she and I were the only two who knew about them.  But the best secret of all was that people lived in boats on the canal.  They slept in them, cooked in them, ate in them - a concept that seemed so magical.  As we strolled along the dark water, I crouched down to peek through the sheers hanging on the tiny windows.  I'm sure I expected to see tiny people living in these tiny, floating homes.  She told me stories of the people who lived in the boats, real-life fairy tales and I hung on every word, her breath billowing clouds around her head as she spoke: "This boat belongs to a little princess who is hiding away from life in the palace, and in that boat lives a little girl, her favorite doll and her mummy and daddy, because they don't like to live in proper houses".

The Little Venice canal we walked down many a day. via

Once we had examined each and every 'house' along the canal, she said "let's go to the park and feed the ducks".  Some days we'd take the big, red, double-decker buses, but on this occasion we found our way to the nearest Tube station.  We sat on the bench, waiting for the train, and I looked everywhere for Paddington Bear.  As the roaring train approached, she gripped my hand and I tucked my face into her hip as train stopped in front of us with a screeching gush of wind that simultaneously frightened and excited me.

After a thrilling train ride, we rushed along the glossy moss-green hallways, climbed the stairs, and began the short walk to Regents Park.  We followed the winding footpaths, the bare trees looming overhead, the wind whipping through our hair.  As the pond came into view, I began to skip, excited and anxious to meet my waddling little friends.  At the water's edge, I gently lay my bag of breadcrumbs on the ground, careful not to spill a crumb.  As I reached in to grab a handful,  I authoritatively announced to the ducks that it was breakfast time, just as she had announced to me every morning of the last year.  I carefully threw some crumbs in the water and squeaked with delight as the ducks came paddling over, heads diving through the surface of the canal, scooping up their morning feast with their little brown beaks.  I always felt it terribly unfair that the 'lady ducks' were brown and, to my young eyes, ugly.  They should be green, blue, black and cream, and beautiful like their male counterparts.  I think I threw a little more to the lady ducks to apologize for nature's injustice.

After the ducks had had their fill and our plastic bread bag was empty, we walked over to the swings where I'd fly through the air, throwing my head back and laughing, while she pushed me higher and higher, all the while holding tight to my sleeping baby sister, tucked snugly inside her coat.  In the summer months, when I was free of my wool tights and overcoat, I'd run through the soft, green grass as the sound of the ice cream van melodically announced it's arrival.  She'd ask the ice cream man for a "special cone", which he never failed to produce: a cone cut off a couple of inches from the bottom with a miniature swirl of vanilla ice cream on top.  A special treat at the close of a perfect outing.

These simple memories are some of my most treasured.  She made a loving and protective hand, a winter's walk, an underground adventure, a chat with some ducks, and a special summertime treat last almost 30 years, locked safely in my brain so that whenever I fancy it, I can close my eyes and immediately be transported to experience how it looked, sounded and felt that day in London with her.  She isn't here anymore to create new memories with, but I will always have these memories to revisit and relive - comfortable and familiar, like old friends - and the most treasured gift she could have ever given me.

Happy birthday.

The earliest photo I have with her.